Rumors about Apple’s AR glasses just won’t go away

Apple is expected to launch a few products in the coming years, unlike anything it ever made. The list includes a pair of augmented reality glasses as well as ARM-based MacBooks, products that were featured in a variety of reports recently.

While Apple will never comment on rumors and speculation about future products, its recent moves certainly make it looks like AR glasses and ARM Macs are in the works.

Apple is looking to hire 3D UI engineers which would help it build its next-gen AR and VR experiences, according to a 9to5Mac discovery.

Apple’s 3D UI Frameworks Engineer job listing seems to be a hint that Apple is already working on AR glasses. From the listing:

Apple’s UI frameworks define the look and feel of our software and products. You will have the opportunity to build software that directly impacts the way both developers and customers interact with our products. You will work with some of Apple’s most advanced technologies including the Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) support offered in ARKit and Metal 2.

Work closely with human interface designers and internal clients to define and deliver the foundation for the next paradigm of user interfaces and entirely new interaction models.

Separately, Apple set up a secret facility in Washington County, where it hired close two two-dozen people. “raiding Intel and other Oregon tech employers, per Oregon Live.

The lab is apparently near the border between Beaverton and Hillsboro, which is closer to Oregon’s hardware ecosystem than the Portland area where you’d find software and web services companies.

Apple has been looking for engineers with design verification expertise, “a specialty for ensuring a finished product meets the original specifications,” per Oregon Live.

If Apple is indeed stealing Intel engineers, there’s only one reason to do that, the ARM-based MacBook that’s supposedly in the works.

Both the AR glasses and the ARM MacBooks are expected to launch at some point in 2020, although we’ve got plenty of waiting to do until they become official.